On Monday, a 16-year-old aspiring NEET student from Uttar Pradesh tragically passed away in her hostel room in the Vigyan Nagar area of a prominent coaching center in Kota, allegedly due to consuming poison, as reported by the police. After ingesting the poisonous substance, the young student was promptly taken to a hospital, where she succumbed to her condition after three hours of treatment.
DSP Dharamveer Singh disclosed that the victim, hailing from Mau in Uttar Pradesh, was a Class 12 student fervently preparing for the NEET-UG exam at a coaching institute in Kota. She was residing in a hostel within the Vigyan Nagar vicinity.
The unfortunate incident occurred on Monday afternoon when the girl is said to have ingested a toxic substance in her room. When she began experiencing severe discomfort and started vomiting, fellow female residents of the hostel rushed her to the hospital, as confirmed by the DSP. Regrettably, she passed away during the course of her medical treatment approximately three hours later in the evening. Notably, no suicide note was discovered in her room, which was subsequently sealed. The motivation behind the girl's distressing act remains unknown at this time.
The body of the deceased has been placed in the mortuary, awaiting post-mortem examination, which will be conducted once her parents arrive. The DSP noted that the parents have been informed about the tragic incident. It is disheartening to acknowledge that this incident marks the 24th suicide case among students attending coaching centers in Kota this year, with this being the second occurrence in the current month. In August alone, six students tragically took their own lives.
Each year, Kota attracts thousands of students who enroll in coaching centers to prepare for competitive examinations. According to data from the Kota Police, there were 17 student suicides in 2015. Subsequently, the numbers have been 16 in 2016, seven in 2017, 20 in 2018, and eight in 2019.
The years 2020 and 2021 saw a decrease in suicides, with four and none reported, respectively, as students left the city due to lockdowns prompted by the pandemic. However, in 2022, the figure increased to 15. Shockingly, by August of this year, the number of student suicide cases has already exceeded last year's total, despite efforts by the district administration to implement measures aimed at preventing such tragic deaths.
For instance, earlier this month, the administration mandated the installation of spring-loaded fans in hostels to prevent students from attempting hanging suicides. Additionally, they have introduced measures like counseling and biometric attendance in coaching centers to monitor students closely. Unfortunately, these measures have had limited effectiveness thus far.
This marks the 24th instance of a coaching student's suicide in Kota this year, with the second case occurring just this month. In August alone, six students tragically took their own lives.
